Importance

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Abstract

An ashtray or the like storage container, which is intended particularly for automotive vehicles, includes a housing with a recess in it and a housing insert which is pivotable into and out of the housing recess. A detent arrangement for holding the housing insert in the closed position in the housing recess includes the housing insert having a cardioid shape control curve guide groove defined on it. A lever articulatedly attached in the side wall of the housing recess includes a pin which sits in the guide groove and rides along the upper and lower parts of the groove as the housing insert is moved into and out of the housing recess. The front side of the groove has a depression in which the pin on the lever is seated to prevent the housing insert from opening out of the housing recess. The housing insert is released from the recess when the front side of the insert is pressed in, which pivots the articulated lever and the pin to move the pin into the first part of the guide groove. To improve its operation, the lever has a spring in the form of an integral tongue cut out of the lever and which is normally self biased against the housing side wall. The tongue prevents the lever and the pin from shifting during normal bouncing of the vehicle. The root of the spring is toward the pin that follows the control curve guide groove.

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First Claim